TMK 43

Chapter 43: Hell (1)When Shen Jingbin opened her eyes once again, the scenery in front of her had become completely different.

Masses of black clouds pressed atop her head. There was no sunlight, and visibility was low. Around her, a desolate plain stretched for as far as the eye could see. A few hundred meters away, she noticed an enormous metal door that was violet-black in colour. In front of it, there appeared to be two tall and indistinct shadows.

“Hey little sister, is this your first time dying? Do you feel helpless, lost, and wronged? Do you feel as if you’ve lost your way in life?” As she was surveying the area, a wretched looking midget popped up out of nowhere. He placed a hand on her shoulder and squinted before speaking, “No need to be afraid, this big brother will show you the way…for a bit of money. How about it? Doesn’t it sound like a worthwhile proposition?”

Shen Jingbin quickly sized him up, “Are you an NPC?”

The man spread his hands out, “Have you ever seen an NPC that looks as wretched as me? I’m actually a player, just like you. But I got bored of things, so I decided to make a trip down to Hell for some extra cash on the side.”

“… You’re allowed to do that?” Shen Jingbin was piqued when she heard the man talk about his side income.

“Why not? Of course you can!” He flashed a bright smile upon seeing she was interested. He began explaining, “I’ll have to let you know that you shouldn’t underestimate this game. Just this Hell alone has many entrances leading into it. I was completely dumbstruck when I first came here after dying. However, I’ve managed to get a rough idea of the place after coming here a few more times. Luckily for me, I was senseless enough to still be in the mood to explore this place after dying. You see that violet-black gate in front of you? That’s the legendary Door Of Rebirth, but in actual fact, it’s actually a respawn point. Look behind you.”

It was only then that Shen Jingbin realized there were another two identical metal doors behind her. She turned back and eyed the man suspiciously, “What’s going on?”

“Hehehe, you see little sister, this big brother over here died countless times before obtaining this information. It’d be a bit too much if I gave it to you for free.”

“How much?”

“Only 5 taels.”

Shen Jingbin felt around the inside of her bag and found only a few silver taels. Her eyes couldn’t help but twitch. At this moment, she felt even more resolved to learn medicine refining once she revived.

And then she’d work hard to some earn money!!

After receiving his money, the man cleared his throat and said, “But first, little sister, let me introduce myself. My name is Marco Polo Bun, but you can call me Polo. Those three Door Of Rebirths you saw just now each belongs to one of the three races. However, it’s up to the player to figure out which of the three doors they need to go through. It’s important to note that if a player chooses the wrong Door Of Rebirth, they’ll be randomly transported to one of the eighteen levels of Hell for half a day, before they’re returned here to make their choice anew. Of course, those with good luck may find a hidden quest in the eighteen levels of Hell.”

The man pointed towards one of the two tall figures standing beside the Door Of Rebirth and continued, “The Door Of Rebirths will change their positions every so often. And, standing at the sides of each Door Of Rebirth, are a pair of Door Gods. Namely, Shentu and Yulü. If a player manages to select the right Door Of Rebirth, then Shentu will investigate their cause of death and whether or not they’ve sinned. In actual fact, it’s just a check to see if a player’s name is red. If it is, then it means they’ve sinned. In that case, they’d have to pay a fixed cost before they’re able to use the Door Of Rebirth. If they haven’t sinned then things are simple. They’ll be able to pass through just like that. Yulü has always been in charge of opening the door. Up till now I haven’t come across anything special, but I’ve always had this feeling that there’s more to them than meets the eye.”

“Then, do you know which one of these doors is the Human Door Of Rebirth?” Shen Jingbin asked.

Polo rested his chin on his hand before he sized her up with a glance, “I’ll think about telling you for free if you take off your veil… Don’t tell me you really thought that a mere 5 taels of silver would be enough for me to tell you everything? Shit, lil’ sister, you can’t be that innocent, right?!”

“…”

Can I hit him?

“What’re you staring at me like that for? You can either give me money, or take off your veil and show me your face.”

She originally wore the veil to prevent Nine Ballads’ lackeys from recognizing her, but it clearly hadn’t worked, so there wasn’t a need to wear it any longer. Even though she didn’t like her current ugly appearance, she hated wearing the black veil even more.

She took off her veil and looked at Marco Polo Bun expressionlessly, “There. Now you’ve seen me. Keep talking.”

“Cough… What the f*ck!” Marco Polo Bun felt like gouging his eyes out.

Why the f*ck did I screw myself over by saying that I wanted to look at such a disgusting sight!